It's been a little less than 50 years since the Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show February 9th, 1964 and changed our lives forever. The Beatles started their professional careers with a trip to Hamburg, Germany in August of 1960. I'm going to post to this blog what the Beatles were doing 50 years ago to the day from just before that first tour until the historic Ed Sullivan appearance. "Follow by email" for ongoing updates. (Eternal thanks to Mark Lewisohn.)

Monday, January 31, 2011

String of Pearls

February 1, 1961

The Beatles play Hambleton Hall, tonight, then Litherland, St John's in Bootle and Lathom again. All with John possibly favoring an injured finger. Well, the show must go on.

We are in the middle of a string of 18 straight days of gigs without a day off. Admittedly, playing music to adoring audiences is not quite the same as pulling 10 hour shifts in the salt mines, or even in a car factory or bank office, but I do think this demonstrates a high level of commitment from all the members of the band. Most especially when you factor in all of the unglamorous, logistical trouble of toting equipment from home to venue and back each day. Not to mention the unseen effort of always learning new material to keep the sets fresh and exciting.

By now, the promoters are getting the message that the Beatles are lads who can be relied on to show up and deliver the goods.

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About Me

After a 30 year career in IT, I got a retirement offer from Ford Motor Company that was too good to pass up. Since then I've been devoting my time to enjoying life, especially through reading, biking and music. I'm a member, with Alison Donahue, of the Guitar/Cello Duo called "Cello Bella" and the Beatles tribute band, The Buntles. (We don't get smash hits, but we can usually bunt our way on base!)